Silver Cross Hospital – New Observation Unit

New Lenox, Illinois


Silver Cross Hospital (SCH) retained Eckenhoff Saunders to design a new Observation Unit located on Level 1 of the new Cardiovascular Operating Room (CVOR) addition. The program consisted of sixteen new Observation Rooms and all the necessary support spaces. The Observation Unit was located in an ideal location adjacent to the existing Emergency and Imaging Departments, allowing SCH staff to monitor patients and determine admittance without taking up valuable ED Exam or Inpatient Rooms. Eckenhoff Saunders worked closely with the Illinois Department of Public Health to identify code restraints and interpretations related to the relatively new service line of Observation Units.

The design team quickly identified any potential conflicts of the drawings even as the CVOR expansion project remained ongoing, making necessary changes during the design process. Eckenhoff Saunders included MEP re-routes and fenestration changes allowing for more patient rooms with direct natural light. This approach led to several cost savings. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SCH staff can apply negative pressure to the new Observation Units in relation to the adjacent hospital. Eckenhoff Saunders also added cross corridor doors to allow for anterooms at the unit entries and incorporated modifications to the new AHU building controls to create negative pressure if necessary.